Endorphin is the pseudonym of Australian DJ Eric Chapus. A fact which shocks some, getting responses such as "Endorphin's a he? Wow!! I always thought Endorphin was a band."
Eric Chapus was born in France in 1962, and was influenced by the diverse way in which he was brought up: French born, Moroccan bred, Indian fed. As a child, Eric set sail to encounter the world with his mother. He moved to Australia in 1984, and settled down to live in Kuranda, North Queensland. It was there that he developed his creativity and talent for unusual music, as the bass player for an experimental industrial band called Godzilla in the Mist. The band put poetry to music made with a variety of instruments, including angle grinders, and chainsaws.
Endorphin was Unearthed in Cairns at the beginning of 1998 when the ambient, trip hop track 'relapse' caught the attention of Triple J. Shortly after being discovered Eric was signed by Sony, and selected to support Portishead for their April tour. In June he astounded critics with the release of his debut album.
Embrace sold in excess of 15,000 copies, and was a luxurious new sound amongst the Australian rock offerings of the time. The album was seen as a landmark in the field of Australian electronic music, and in the same month of its release Endorphin managed to secure himself a support spot for Massive Attack.
Endorphin took peoples breath away in November 1999 with his second album Skin. Released a mere year and a half after Embrace, it was widely successful, which prompted a re-release in January 2000 to cope with growing demands. The masterpiece which is Skin, was born through 18 months of frantic creativity for Eric. It startlingly reflects his move from Queensland to urban Sydney to live with his girlfriend, and 3 year old daughter Zoe. The album was widely acclaimed by both the dance music industry, and mainstream media. This led to Skin winning Album of the Year at the 2000 Australian Dance Music Awards, and Endorphin being nominated for Best Male Artist at that years ARIA Awards.
In the two year lead up to his next album Endorphin kept busy. Headlining concerts and tours around the country. Playing festivals such as Homebake and Hemespheres. He began scoring for the screen with the international extreme sports documentary Adventure World. And also created the musical score for Next Wave, a new 13 part National Geographic documentary. Endorphin was commissioned by the up and coming ABC drama Head Start, to create a re-mix of the 1979 Mi-Sex hit 'Computer Games'. And his success did not stop there. His music has appeared on movie soundtracks such as 'Looking for Alibrandi', which included not one, but three Endorphin tracks.
Endorphin emerged as a highly sought-after remixer, choosing to work with artists as varied as Sunk Loto, Spiderbait, Stella One Eleven and Frenchman Ugo Farrell. He has also scored some international artists including Ibiza’s DJ Jose Padilla, who introduced Eric to a world wide audience by including the chilled 'Satie 1' on the sixth volume of Cafe del Mar, which sold more than half a million copies worldwide.
He then proceeded to shock critics by releasing his third album... Two CD's. A double fix of Endorphin for your listening pleasure. Both CD's are brimming with the hypnotic and enchanting sounds we now come to expect from Endorphin. AM:PM was released in October 2001, and was a raving success. Tracks from Endorphin's amazing third album can be heard in clubs across Australia.
Endorphin weaves theatrical magic for the dancefloor with his live performances. Along with his longtime dancer, Ivan Medel, Eric has evolved an electronica show which explodes in bursts of energy and dazzles with mindblowing visuals, movement, light and sound. Through adding DJ Archie and a mysterious female stiltwalker, he has kept the fans guessing, and managed to create a buzz which continues to win new Endorphin converts.
The speed of Endorphin's success definitely reflects the quality of his music. Prior to the release of his second album, he had already toured with some of the biggest global names in electronic music. Along with Massive Attack, and Portishead, come names such as Faithless and Moby. And in 2001 he was listed as one of the headling artists for the Australian leg of the Gatecrasher music festival. You'd think that success like that would change a person. Not Eric. He remains very much focused on the two loves of his life. His family, and of course music.
Endorphin's music is a beautiful eclectic mix, which ranges from French house, to heavy trip hop beats, and is constantly leaving his fans thirsty for more. MORE!!! And we're bound to hear more from this musical genius. The next phase of Endorphin’s career however is certain to take his music into international territories. There are release and touring plans for Europe on the drawing board. Eric is looking forward to performing the live show which has won him so many accolades here in front of new audiences. Look out world, here comes Endorphin. So, sit back. Kick back. And embrace the passion, intensity, and fragility which is Endorphin.
Discography
Embrace - 1998 - Sony
Skin - 1999/2000 - Sony
AM:PM - 2001 - Sony